Taco Dip

Ahhh, college football is here again! Woo!Hoo! I love watching the Crimson Tide on Saturdays, but not matter what team you pull for, you need some good food. This dip is one of my favorites! Great for watching the game! This dip is so, so simple, but very good! Just layer a few ingredients and you've got some yummy Taco Dip! No one will even mind if you use a Christmas platter like I did it's so good! Recipe is at the end of this post.


Taco Dip
1 can refried beans
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 envelope taco seasoning
tortilla chips

Spread refried beans onto a pizza pan or large round platter. Combine sour cream and taco seasoning mix.(If you like it spicier, use the whole envelope. Less spicy, use 1/2 envelope of seasoning)Spread sour cream mixture over top of refried beans. Top with shredded cheese. You could also sprinkle on some chopped olives, onions, tomatoes or put these out in small bowls with the dip so everyone can top theirs with the things they like. Serve with tortilla chips. Here, I've served mine with Baked Scoops.

Homemade Butter Cream Icing

Today I thought I'd share the recipe I use for butter cream icing. I've made two, 3-layer cakes in the past couple weeks and used this recipe for the icing. I've had the recipe for years and it's the one I always go to when I want to use homemade icing instead of canned. Of course, the consistency can be changed for making roses, borders, writing,etc. For 3 layer cakes, I double the recipe and usually have just a bit left over (which my son usually sneaks in and tries to eat when he "thinks" I'm not looking). It's delicious. Give it a try for your next cake!



Butter Cream Icing
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened (not margarine)
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 lb. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk (might use more or less, depending on consistency your going for)

In mixer, blend together butter, shortening, vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar about 1/2 c. at a time. Add milk 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing well after each addition. I check my consistency with a spoon after 2 Tbsp. milk to see if I need more milk. If you're just icing a cake and making a border, you'll want a medium consistency that's not too stiff and not too runny. For icing the cake, I use an offset spatula as well.

Build-A-Bear Birthday

Ivy got to go to Build-A-Bear Workshop for her birthday this year. She loved the bear her sister made there, so we knew she would like this little b'day trip! Their were so many animals to choose from, but she settled on this purple one with hearts and peace signs. She helped stuff her bear, give it a bath and pick out clothes for it. Ivy named her cute bear Lily and Lily hasn't left her side since we left the store. She loves that bear!

Bears, bears and more bears......well, there were dogs and a monkey, too!

Giving her bear a bath!

Waiting on her bear to be stuffed!

And finally making a birthday wish!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to Ivy!!! Our little miss priss is 4!!! She's been waiting a long time to celebrate her birthday and it's finally here! She's so excited!

We had her party with family and a couple friends on Monday! She had fun opening her gifts and eating strawberry cake and Neopolitan ice cream. Just what she requested! Happy Birthday to my "sugar and spice and everything nice" little girl! I'm so thankful I get to be her mommy!

The Classic Rice Krispy Treat

We LOVE Rice Krispy treats at our house! When their is a pan of these made, you better grab one while you can 'cause they're not gonna last long! I did manage to make them last a couple days so the kids could take a couple for school snack. In my opinion, the homemade Krispy treats are much better than the store bought ones. The packaged ones taste SO much sweeter to me and just not as fresh. Maybe that's just me. Don't get me wrong, my kids would eat packaged or homemade. They don't care. They just love this classic snack, as do I! Get the step by step recipe below.


1. You will need 3 Tbsp. margarine or butter(I like butter), 1 (10 1/2 oz.) pkg. mini marshmallows and 6 cups of Rice Krispy's cereal.(whichever brand you want)


2. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows; stir until melted and mixture is smooth.


3. Remove pan from heat. Add the cereal; mix until well coated.


4. Press mixture firmly into a 13x9 pan that has been lightly greased with butter.(I find it helps to rub a little of the butter on my clean hands when I press these down so my hands don't stick)Cool completely; cut into squares.

Our Trip To The Fire Station

Earlier this week, Ivy and I got to visit our local fire station with some friends of ours. I was anxious to see how she would react to seeing these big fire trucks in person! She was a little reluctant at first, but warmed up to it.However, she was not having any part of putting on the boots and the big helmet, but a couple of the boys decided they would try it. The kids also got to get inside of the ladder truck and look around. We also saw all the ins and outs of the pumper truck. The firemen were nice enough to pull the ladder truck out of the garage and put the big ole ladder up. That thing was up there. I think one of the firemen said it would let out to 10 stories high! We got an extra treat as one of the firemen climbed the ladder to the top! OH,that made me so nervous! I didn't even know the man, but I was so nervous for him I could barely watch! He made it just fine.
The kids also got a coloring book, sticker and a fireman hat to take home. It was a fun trip!

Ivy sitting in the ladder truck!

Hot Car Crayons

Recently my daughter and I tried a project that I pinned a while back called Hot Car Crayons. She had a good time helping make these and she LOVES coloring with her new heart crayons!
A cute and fun project! See the step by step instructions below.


1.First, make sure it's a nice, hot day out. (Which we have plenty of here in AL!) Have a silicone muffin or ice cube mold set out for your crayons. Get out your crayons and peel off the wrappers. (I read that Crayola crayons worked best for this so that is what we used. We do have an abundance of crayons!)


2. Break the crayons into small pieces that will fit into the molds. You can put the same color in each mold or mix up the colors, which is what I did.

3. Take your crayon filled mold out to your car and set it on the dash board. I put a paper towel underneath in case it melted over the sides. I left mine out for a couple hours, but it may not take that long. Just check it.


4. When the crayons have all melted, bring them inside to set up and get hard. You can just leave them out on the counter to do this or speed up the process by putting the mold in the freezer for a little while.


5. Pop the crayons out of the mold and start coloring! Both of my girls really like to color with the heart crayons! I'm on the lookout for other fun shapes we can make!